Things have changed since then. Today nearly EVERYTHING is designed for cars. We don't even notice how much of an impact they have on how we live. For instance, 1/4 of my home is devoted to the garage. 1/2 of the area of any retail establishment is required for parking. A significant fraction of a city is devoted exclusively to cars.
As a design exercise, I'd like to consider how the built environment would change if we put an equal effort into design for bicycles.
Where to begin? An internet search for bike storage. Here are some of the best results I found:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/toomanybicycles/258520950/in/set-72157594433824691/
Honestly I'm a bit disappointed in these. You can either hang your bike on the wall or hang it from the ceiling.
I want something more. I spend a significant amount of time and money on my bike. I think it's a thing of beauty. I'd like to store it in style. Perhaps put it on display when I'm not riding it. I think there's a lot of potential for innovation here. What if the bike replaced the fireplace as the focal point of a living room? A hook shaped wall hanger just doesn't cut it anymore.
Got any ideas for better designs? Tell me about them. I'll post my own ideas in future blogs.
I'm sure that your custom-made bicycle will be especially decorative. What's the rule about hanging pictures about eye-level? We quilters have design walls. Perhaps the bicycle needs to have a matt framing it against a wall designed/painted/papered with appropriate figures to emphasize the usefulness of the bicycle when it is at play rather than at rest. You could, of course, add fringe or crepe paper to the bike itself, but DON'T use it as a holder for other things like hats or coats.
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